TECHNICAL HANDBOOK FOR

RECONSTRUCTION OF EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT HOUSES

Supporting Compliance with the National Building Code, Nepal

For masons
and craftsmen

May, 2016

1
TECHNICAL HANDBOOK FOR
RECONSTRUCTION OF EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT HOUSES
Supporting Compliance with the National Building Code, Nepal

For masons
and craftsmen

Japan International Cooperation Agency

2
 Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Earthquake 2015
3. Typical damage of masonry structure
4. Advantage of cement mortar
5. National Building Code, Nepal(NBC)
6. The earthquake resistant house
6.1 Main components
6.2 Design of house
6.2.1 Site selection
6.2.2 Shape of house
6.2.3 Opening of wall
6.2.4 Wall specifications

6.3 Construction of house

6.3.1 Preparation of construction
a. Materials
b. Equipment
6.3.2 Mixture of concrete
6.3.3 Mixture of mortar
6.3.4 Construction Sequence
6.3.5 Foundation
6.3.6 Wall of Stone masonry
6.3.7 Wall of Brick masonry
6.3.8 Seismic Band
6.3.9 Vertical elements
6.3.10 Bar Details
6.3.11 Strengthen of Junctions
6.3.12 Casting concrete
6.3.13 Roof
 Photographs
 Appendix: Standard Design
 Stone masonry in cement mortar, One storey
 Stone masonry in cement mortar, Two storey
 Brick masonry in cement mortar, One storey
 Brick masonry in cement mortar, Two storey

3
 Introduction
Nepal is located in a seismic area from time to time earthquake occur
which affect inadequately constructed houses, causing major damage
and in many case partial or total collapse.

Location of Nepal

Source: USGS; Google Earth

As the Indian subcontinent pushes against Eurasia, pressure is released

in the form of earthquakes. The constant crashing of the two plates
forms the Himalayan mountain range.

4
 Earthquake 2015

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 (Mw) struck at 11:56 NST,

(local time) on 25 April 2015, in the central part of Nepal (Gorkha).

The epicenter was east-southeast of Lamjung, 77 km south-west of

Kathmandu, the depth was 15 km (USGS).

According to the statistics by The Nepal Police on 22 June the number

of deaths 8,660 and injured 21,952 for the main shock and deaths 172
and injured 3,470 for the aftershock. It was also reported that more
than 5,000,000 buildings and houses were damaged and about half of
those had collapsed.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey

5
 Typical damage of masonry structure

The following are the main ways in which such masonry structure are seen to
be damage.

Separation of walls
Separation of walls at corners and T-Junctions takes place due to poor
connection between the walls.

Delamination of wall
Delamination of wall is vertical separation of internal stone and external
stone through middle of wall thickness, this occurs due to mainly to the
absence of bonding elements and weak mortar filling in stone masonry
wall.

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 Typical damage of masonry structure

Gable wall collapse

In case of gable wall the triangular of wall has no restraint. Hence, when
the force is in perpendicular direction it shakes excessively. Under such
pull and push a crack develops. In heavy shaking it can also collapse.

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 Advantage of cement mortar

The large-scale destruction of housing resulted primarily from the seismic

vulnerability of un-reinforced masonry houses that predominate
throughout the country. Most houses (85.9% of all housing construction)
are low strength masonry stone or brick masonry with mud mortar,
without seismic-resilient features.
Figures show the number of houses damaged in 31 districts.

0.8% 2.2% Damage of each Building type

8.7% Fully collapsed
2.4% Low strength masonry
Partially damaged
Low strength masonry
Fully collapsed or Beyond repairs
Cement based masonry
Partially damaged
23.1% 62.8% Cement based masonry
Fully collapsed or Beyond repairs
Reinforced Concrete frame
Partially damaged
Reinforced Concrete frame

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 Advantage of cement mortar
Mortar is a paste prepared by adding required quantity of water to a
mixture of binding material like cement and fine aggregate like sand.
Depending on the kinds of binding materials used, there are five
categories of mortars :Lime Mortar, surkhi Mortar, Gauged Mortar,
Gypsum mortar, Cement mortar.
Mortars can also be classified based on nature of application:
• Brick laying mortars-used for brickwork and walls.
• Finishing mortars-used for developing architectural or ornamental
features in a structure.
Among all mortars cement mortar has proved its capability to develop
good adhesions with the building units such as brick, stone etc. since
tensile and shear strength are important properties for seismic resistant,
use of mud or very lean mortars is unsuitable in compare to cement
mortar. Cement mortar helps to carry the weight placed on the wall and
seal the joints where it has a high degree of impermeability and is more
prone to shrinkage than others mortar.
Advantages of cement mortar over other mortars:
 It gives strength to masonry.
 It is an excellent binding material.
 It is easily workable.
 It offers good resistance to moisture
 It possess good plasticity.
 It hardens early and starts gaining strength in around 10 hours.

Cement mortar Mud mortar

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 National Building Code, Nepal (NBC)
The Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC)
of the Ministry of physical planning and works (MPPW) developed the
Nepal National Building Code (NBC) in 1993. Improvement
Committee(established by the Building Act 1998)authorized MPPW to
implement the code. The Ministry published a notice in the Gazette in 2006
and the implementation of NBC became mandatory in all Municipalities and
some Village Development Committees(VDCs) in Nepal.
Code Number Code Title
NBC 000:1994 Requirements for State-of-the –Art Design :An introduction
NBC 101: 1994 Materials Specifications
NBC 102: 1994 Unit Weight of Materials
NBC 103: 1994 Occupancy Load
NBC 104: 1994 Wind Load
NBC 105: 1994 Seismic Design of Building in Nepal
NBC 106: 1994 Snow Load
NBC 107: 1994 Provisional Recommendation on Fire Safety
NBC 108: 1994 Site Consideration for Seismic Hazards
NBC 109: 1994 Masonry : Unreinforced
NBC 110: 1994 Plain and Reinforced Concrete
NBC 111: 1994 Steel
NBC 112: 1994 Timber
NBC 113: 1994 Aluminum
NBC 114: 1994 Construction Safety
NBC 201: 1994 Mandatory Rules of Thumb: Reinforced Concrete Building with
Masonry Infill.
NBC 202: 1994 Mandatory Rules of Thumb: Load Bearing Masonry
NBC 203: 1994 Guidelines for Earthquake Resistant Building Construction : Low
Strength Masonry
NBC 204: 1994 Guidelines for Earthquake Resistant Building Construction : Earthen
Building (EB)
NBC 205: 1994 Mandatory Rules of Thumb: Reinforced Concrete Buildings Without
Masonry Infill.
NBC 206: 2003 Architectural Design Requirements
NBC 207: 2003 Electrical Design Requirements for (Public Building)
NBC 208: 2003 Sanitary and Plumbing Design Requirements

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 No. Cit y Y ear
1 Lalitpur 2002
2 Kathmandu 2004
3 Dharan 2006
4 Ilam 2008
5 Hetauda 2010
6 Birgunj
2011
7 Byas
8 Butawal
9 Bharatpur
2013, Pokhara 10 Dhulikhel 2012
2014, Putalibazar 11 Banepa
12 Panauti
2011, Byas
13 Pokhara
2014, Kirtipur 14 Dhangadhi
2004, Kathmandu 15 Ghorahi 2013
2002, Lalitpur 16 Biratnagar
2014, Madoyapur 17 Damak
18 Kirtipur
2012, Banepa 19 Madyapur
2012, Dhulikhel 20 Bhimdatta
2012, Panauti 21 Tulasipur
22 Gulariaya 2014
23 Putali Bazar
2013, Dhangadhi 24 Siddharthanagar
25 Triyuga
2014, Bhimdatta 26 Bhadrapur
* Data:from DUDBC

2014, Gulariya

2013, Ghorahi
2014, Tulasipur
2012, Butawal 2008, Ilan
2014,
Siddharthanagar

2014,
2010, Hetaudra Bhadrapur
2011, Birgunj
【NBC implementaiton】2014 2013,
2012, Bharatpur
2014, Triyuga 2006, Damak
2013, Biratnagar
Dharan

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12
 Earthquake 2015

The earthquake resistant house

6.1 Main components

6.2 Design of house
6.2.1 Site selection
6.2.2 Shape of house
6.2.3 Opening of wall
6.2.4Wall specifications

6.3 Construction of house

6.3.1 Preparation of construction
a) Materials
b) Equipment
6.3.2 Mixture of concrete
6.3.3 Mixture of mortar
6.3.4 Construction Sequence
6.3.5 Foundation
6.3.6 Wall of Stone masonry
6.3.7 Wall of Brick masonry
6.3.8 Seismic Band
6.3.9 Vertical elements
6.3.10 Bar Details
6.3.11 Strengthen of Junctions
6.3.12 Casting concrete
6.3.13 Roof

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 6. Earth resistant house
6.1 Main components
Earthquake resistance structures are Effectiveness Seismic
designed to withstand earthquakes, while no
Band with band
without band
structure an be entirely immune to damage
from earthquakes. To construct earthquake
resistant building number of factors such as
site selection, shape of house, foundation,
plinth, wall, opening, vertical reinforcement, Earthquake happen!!!
horizontal band, roof, construction materials
should be considered. The details of the
seismic elements at different level of the
buildings are clearly shown in the figure.

Roof Band: RCC: Concrete 1:1.5:3

Vertical reinforcement: Reinforcement mainbar 12mm*4,
reinforcement 12mm rebar Foop6mm@150mm

Wall: Stone masonry in cement

mortar 1:4

Lintel Band: RCC: Concrete 1:1.5:3

Reinforcement mainbar 12mm*4,
Foop 6mm@150mm
Sill Band: RCC: Concrete 1:1.5:3
Reinforcement mainbar 12mm*2,
Foop6mm@150mm

Plinth Band: RCC: Concrete 1:1.5:3

Reinforcement mainbar 12mm*4,
Foop6mm@150mm

Foundation: Stone masonry in

cement mortar 1:4 14
Technology for Earthquake Resistant Building Construction (Stone in Cement Mortar)

14
 Main components
Seismic horizontal band:
A continuous band, also called ‘ring beam’ is a RC band at different
levels in all walls of the building for tying walls together to enhance
box action. It improves horizontal bending resistance thereby
preventing out-of-plane collapse of walls. It also helps to prevent
shrinkage, temperature and settlement cracks.

Stone in cement Mortar with R.C. band

Stone in mud Mortar with wooden band

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6. Earthquake resistant house
Seismic horizontal band:

Wooden band can be used in stone/brick masonry with mud

mortar. Well seasoned hard wood without knots shall be used for
horizontal band. Similarly, timber treatment such as use of coal tar
or any other preservative can prevent timber from being decayed
and attacked by insects.
Two main wooden members, 75mm X 38mm should be placed
along with the wall and should be properly connected with batten,
50mmX38mm @ 500c/c. Here, stitch (Mid band) shall be
continuous. Main wooden member shall be properly connected
with 4 nails and batten with 2 nails where 5mm wooden nail or
3.15mm galvanized steel nail can be used.

Roof band
Lintel band

Stitch band

Sill band

Plinth band

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17
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.2 Design of house
6.2.1 Site selection Related Minimum requirement No’1

Adequate locations: Safe place to build houses are those located far from
areas where natural Hazards may occur.

 Do not select near steep slope

Building built on sites with a narrow hill ridge,
separated high hills, steep slopes or complicated
terrain are susceptible to damage than a building
built on sites with plain topography. so such sites
should be avoided as far as possible. However,
buildings can be constructed in such areas after
the provision of proper precaution by retaining
walls and its periphery must be improved by
terracing and constructing breast.

 Do not select landside prone area

Landslides usually completely wash out
buildings lying in its course. Rock fall damages
buildings partially or completely. so its better
not to select the sites on landslide prone area.

 Do not select near river bank

Since river banks are susceptible to frequent
flooding and to liquefaction. Buildings should be far
enough from the flooding zone of river and
construction in such areas should be undertaken only
after carrying out necessary protection works to
avoid flash flood and earthquake damage.

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 Site selection

 Do not select filled or soft ground

In a back filled area, the bearing capacity of
foundation sub soil is low and settlement of
foundation may occur. Also, foundation may be
exposed due to easy scouring of backfilled soil .If
a building is to be constructed on a filled ground,
the foundation should be deep enough so as to
rest on firm soil and not on filled up soil.

 Do not select Rock fall Area

 Do not select Geological fault or Ruptured Area
 Do not select Liquefaction susceptible Area

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 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.2 Design of house
6.2.2 Shape of house Related Minimum requirement No’2

To make earthquake resistant house successfully, design must have a good

shape and an adequate distribution of walls.
 Symmetry
The building, as a whole or its individual blocks, shall be planned
symmetrical as far as possible.

 Regularity
Simple rectangular shapes behave better in an earthquake than shapes
with projections. Torsional effects of ground motion are pronounced in
long narrow rectangular blocks. The length of a block shall not be greater
than three times its width of the building.
If longer lengths are required two separate blocks with sufficient
separation between should be provided.
According to National Building Code, Nepal, the minimum requirement that
should be considered are as follows:

 Number of storey:
 It shouldn’t be more than 2 storey +
attic incase of the stone and brick
masonry with cement mortar

 Incase of stone/brick masonry in mud

mortar with wooden band the total
number of storey should be limited to
one storey whereas if R.C band is used
instead of wooden band then one
plus attic floor can be constructed.

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 Shape of house

 The clear span of the wall shouldn’t be

more than 12 times thickness of the
wall and not more than 4.5 m.

 Each room should not exceed 13.5 sq. m.

 Floor height shall not be more than

3.0m. Incase of attic floor, maximum
height from floor level to ridge level
shall be 1.8 m and maximum height
from floor level to eave level shall be
1.0m.

 The building should

not be too long or
too tall

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 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.2 Design of house
6.2.3 Opening of wall Related Minimum requirement No’8

Large sizes and inappropriate locations of opening are another cause of

severe damage of masonry buildings.

Openings are the voids in walls to make them weak. so, their sizes and
locations are to be carefully decided while Construction. Some of rules for
size and location of openings in masonry buildings are shown in next page.
Following are the guidelines on the size and position of opening:

 The total length of openings

It shouldn’t exceed 30% of the length of the wall between consecutive
cross-walls in single storey mud masonry whereas incase of cement
masonry construction, it shouldn’t exceed 50 % in single storey
construction and 42% in two storey construction.

 Distance of opening from the end of a wall

Openings are to be located away from inside corners by a clear distance
equal to at least ¼ of the height of the opening, but not less than 0.6m.

 The horizontal distance between two openings

It should not be less than half of the height of the shorter opening, but not
less than 0.6 m.

 The vertical distance between two openings

If there are two openings in the height of a wall, then vertical distance
between the two openings should not be less than 600 mm or 50% of the
width of the smaller opening.

 When the openings do not comply with requirements above points,

they should either be boxed around in reinforced concrete or
reinforcing bars provided at the jambs through the masonry as shown
in figure below

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 Opening of wall
 Any opening in the wall reduce load bearing capacity against the
earthquake. The size of opening and location should be well considered
and comply with the followings.

Brick/ Stone masonry with mud mortar:

gf]6:
 rf} ! + rf} @ <)=# nDafO{ ! Ps tNnfsf] nflu,)=@% nDafO{ ! Ps tNnf / a'O{unsf] nflu
 rf} ^ + rf} & <)=# nDafO{ @ Ps tNnfsf] nflu,)=@% nDafO{ @ Ps tNnf / a'O{unsf] nflu
 rf} $ >=)=% rf} @ t/ ^)) ld=ld eGbf sd
 rf} % >=)=@% rf} ! t/ $%) ld=ld eGbf sd

Brick/ Stone masonry with cement mortar:

rf}(
p#

rf}$ rf}# rf}* rf}% rf}$ rf}& rf}*

p!

rf}% rf}$
p@

rf}^
p@

rf}!
p!

gf]6:
 rf} ! + rf} @ + rf} # <=)=% nDafO{ ! Ps tNnfsf] nflu,)=$@ nDafO{ ! b'O{ tNnfsf] nflu
 rf} ^ + rf} & <=)=% nDafO{ @ Ps tNnfsf] nflu,)=$@ nDafO{ @ b'O{ tNnfsf] nflu
 rf} $ >=)=% p@ t/ ^)) ld=ld eGbf sd
 rf} *>=)=@% p@ t/ ^)) ld=ld eGbf sd
 rf} %>=)=@% p ! t/ ^)) ld=ld eGbf sd
 rf} #>=-)=% rf} @ ,)=% rf} ( / ^)) ld=ld dWosf] clwstd

23
6. Earthquake resistant house
6.2 Design of house
6.2.4 Wall specification Related Minimum requirement No’5
 Laying masonry
Masonry should not be laid staggered or straggled in order to avoid
continuous vertical joints. At corners or wall junctions, through vertical
joints should be avoided by properly laying the masonry. It should be
interlocked.
 Mortar Mixture
Mortar joints should not be more than 20mm and less than 10mm in
thickness. The ratio recommend 1:6(Cement: Sand).
 Through-stone
Through-stone of a length equal to the full wall thickness should be used in
every 600 mm lift at not more than 1.2 m apart horizontally.

 Key Technical Points

• The pressure acting on stones should be vertical.
• Dressed stones are preferable than natural round shaped stones.
• Broken or small stones should not be used.
• Through stone should be laid in every 600mm lift and not more than
1.2m apart horizontally.
• Wet stone should be used to avoid sucking moisture from mortar.
• Stone should be cleaned no to loss bonding strength with mortar.
• Mortar should be packed and chipped in properly without void space
• Mortar joint should not be in one continuous vertical line.
• The plumb bob should be used to check verticality.
 Thickness of wall
MASONRY TYPE MASONRY TYPE
One Two Two plus Attic
Stone 350-450 450 450
Brick 230 350 350

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 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
Related Minimum requirement No’10 6.3.1 Preparation of construction
a) Materials
Materials used in building construction is also one of the factor affecting the
quality of building . So quality of construction materials used in construction
has to be ensured for assuring the final quality of construction. The required
quality of materials should be decided beforehand the construction is
started; generally it is decided during planning and designing phase.
Depending upon the construction type, structural element and location of
site the quality of materials required should be differs.
The very commonly used construction materials are shown below in pictures.

Boulder stone (River round stone)

should not be used. Need treatment of
shape.

25
Materials

Quality Check!
BAD! GOOD!

Stone Brick

26
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
Related Minimum requirement No’10 6.3.1 Preparation of construction
Equipment
a
a. Measurement meter
b. Bar cutter
c. Bar Bender
d. Forceps b
e. Saw
f. Wire mesh cutter
g. Drilling machine
h. Concrete drill c
i. Wood drill
j. Shovel
k. Hammer
d
l. Bucket
m. Measurement thread
n. Nail
o. Pencil e
p. Imperator
q. Pick axe
f
r. Crow bar
s. Mortar pan
t. Plumb bob
u. Try square g
v. Spirit level
w. Chisel
x. Mason’s trowel
y. Steel float h
z. Vibrator
i

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Equipment
j
y
p

k q x

l
r

z
n t

v w

28
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
Related Minimum requirement No’10 6.3.2 Mixture of concrete
Cement concrete is a mixture of cement ,sand and stone aggregates in a
specified proportions. Mixing may be done by mixer machine or by hand ,
Preferable is mixing by machine as it gives uniform quality and
homogeneous concrete mix. Procedure for mixing concrete manually has
been explained in the following diagrams.

29
 Mixture of concrete

30
 Mixture of concrete

31
6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.2 Mixture of mortar Related Minimum requirement No’10
Cement Mortar is a paste prepared by adding required quantity of water to a
mixture of binding material like cement and fine aggregate like sand. For the
preparation of good mortar there should be quality cement, sand and water
with appropriate proportions. Procedure to mix the mortar has been
explained in the following diagrams.

32
 Mixture of mortar
Mud mortar
The soil for preparation of mud mortar should be free from organic
materials. It shall also be free from pebbles and other hard materials
which could upset the mortar thickness. The sand content in the mud
shall not be more than 30 % in order to achieve a proper cohesiveness.
Dry mud shall be thoroughly kneaded with water in order to prepare the
dense paste.

Field Test
a. Dry strength test
Five or Six small balls of soil of approximately 2 cm in diameter are made.
Once they are dry (after 48 hours), each ball is crushed between the
forefinger and the thumb. If they are strong enough that none of them
breaks, the soil has enough clay to be used in the adobe construction,
provided that some control over the mortar micro-fissures caused by the
drying process is exercised, as shown in figure below. If some of the balls
break, the soil is not considered to be adequate, because it does not have
enough clay and should be discarded.

an agfpg] tl/sf ;'ss

] f] an hfFRg] tl/sf

33
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.4 Construction sequence

1. Layout plan

The first important step in construction of a foundation is the layout .It is an

essential procedure before the start of work. Clean the ground from all
organic or any odd elements. Then tightened the ropes using trestles made
by wood poles nailed to a transversal stick and embed it to the ground, as
shown in the figure. Trestles are placed at external part of build. Check the
angle of 90{at the corners making triangle of 3-4-5 length sides} as shown
here. Use chalk or gypsum powder to mark.

2. Excavation

It is important that foundation to be leveled below the ground level, on

natural soil at a depth not less than 1.0 m. If thickness of the shallow landfill
is greater than 1.0 m the trench should be over excavated until it reach the
natural soil and refilled with simple concrete.

34
 Construction sequence

3. Laying Brick Bedding

The excavated area is then filled by a layer of brick.

4. Placing lean concrete

The layer of brick is covered by lean concrete

5. Construction of Foundation with installation of
vertical Rebar

Reinforcement bars are placed and fixed into the foundation

35
 Construction Sequence
6. Construction of plinth band

After the reinforcement a layer of concrete is placed over lean concrete.

7. Construction of Masonry wall and RC bands

Masonry wall is constructed above plinth band and openings are made and RC
bands are placed over , middle and under masonry wall.
8. Construction of Corner and transverse bands

After the completion of the opening, the construction of the masonry wall is
stopped to construct the corner and transverse band.

36
 Construction Sequence
9. Construction of lintel band:

A continuous lintel band is constructed through walls at the top level of

opening.
9. Construction of lintel band:

After completion of lintel band, masonry wall is constructed and above

that roof band is constructed and above that timber truss is made.
11. Installation of roof

After the construction of wall , roof is placed over it.

37
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.5 Foundation
Foundation is a bottom-most part of the building which transfer
the weight of the building to the ground. It plays vital role in
overall stability of the structure. Foundation for a particular
structure depends on type of structure and foundation sub soil.
The foundation trench should be of uniform width and its bed
should be on same level throughout the flat area.

The base width of foundation is varied depends on:

Wall material: Stone or Brick
No. of storey: 1 storey or 2 storey
Bearing strength of ground: Soft, Medium or Hard

38
 Foundation

Foundation for masonry Building

 For load bearing wall construction, strip footing of masonry, plain
concrete or RC is commonly used.
 RC strip footing is most effective for seismic and settlement
consideration in soft as well as firm soils.
 Masonry footings are most frequently used.

The depth of footing in the soil should go below the zone of deep
freezing in cold regions and below the level of shrinkage crack in clay
soil. It is the most common strip foundation, which can be constructed
in cement or mud mortar. This type of footing is generally made of steps,
the width at the bottom being more and the width at the top of the
footing is equal to the width of the wall above. The footing wall may be
of brick or stone depending upon the availability of it and the mortar
also mud or the cement.
The minimum size of foundation for masonry footing in different types
of foundation sub soil and different no. of stories should be as shown
below in first table. The following picture explains the procedure of wall
making with stone or brick.

Minimum base width(mm) of wall footing for soil type

Masonry Type No. of storey Soft Medium Hard

Brick Two 900 650 450

One 650 550 450

Stone Two NA 800 600
One 800 600 600

39
 Foundation
Foundation details for mud mortar 4m
Superstructure level
+300(min) Floor finish level
finished ground level +0.00

1.2m (min)
H
Original ground level

20o

750mm (min)

H H
Minimum 1.2m

W A A A
A= 2m or 1m whichever is greater Foundation technique in slope ground
H= Not greater than 300mm
O= 20o (Maximum)
230
350 350
150
150

150
300-1200

300-1200
300-1200

450 350
350 115 115
800-900 (min)

115
900mm (min)

115
800mm (min)

580
60 100 240 240

125 125 115 115

580 810
60 100 240

700
60 100 250

35 35
50 50 45 45

800 650 900

1 storey (soft soil) 1 storey (soft soil) 2 storey (soft soil)

2 storey (medium soil)

40
 Foundation
Foundation details for mud mortar

width
A = Base width – wall thickness/6
A= ½ masonry wall Minimum base width(mm) of wall footing for soil type:
b= 1/4 masonry wall
Masonry Type No. of storey Soft Medium Hard

Brick One 750 650 550

Stone Two NA 800 600

650mm

One 800 600 600

A BB
A BB

Base width
Brick masonry with mud mortar

Thickness Thickness

150mm 50mmX 38mm

75mmX 38mm
300
300

300
300
150

150

Stone masonry with mud mortar

41
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.6 Wall of Stone masonry Related Minimum requirement No’7

Stone masonry is made of stone

units that are bonded together
with a binder like mortar together
to act as a homogenous mass.
Stones are obtained from
quarrying which is done by hand
tools or by blasting . The strength
of stone masonry depends on the
quality of stones, mortar and
method of bonding used. The
following pictures describes the
general principal for good stone
masonry.
3m 3m

H/6

A
 Key Technical Points
Buttress
• The pressure acting on stones should be
wall
vertical.
• Dressed stones are preferable than
natural round shaped stones.
• Broken or small stones should not be
used.
A

• Through stone should be laid in every 2T

600mm lift and not more than 1.2m T
apart horizontally.
• Wet stone should be used to avoid
sucking moisture from mortar.
• Stone should be cleaned no to loss
bonding strength with mortar.
p

• Mortar should be packed and chipped in

properly without void space
• Mortar joint should not be in one
continuous vertical line.
• The plumb bob should be used to check T=H/6
verticality. Section at A-
A
42
 Wall of Stone masonry

No matter whether boulder stones or quarry stones are used in

construction, it is a common practice that the inner parts of the walls
are filled with small stones pieces and mortar. This way of constructing
a wall makes the stone units of inner and outer faces not bonded
together properly which results in separation of two faces of the wall,
bulging and delamination. such deformation in stone walls may lead to
collapse of the building even in normal times whereas they are fatal
during an earthquake.

Laying The Stone

 Regularly diminish the thicknesses of the courses, if varied, from the

bottom to the top of the wall. Keep a surplus supply of stones at the
site to select from.
 Before laying the stone in the wall, shape and dress it so that it will not
loosen after it is placed. No dressing or hammering which will loosen
the stone will be permitted after it is placed.
 Clean each stone and saturate it with water before setting it. Clean
and moisten the bed that will receive it.
 Bed the stones in freshly made mortar with full joints. Carefully settle
the stones in place before the mortar sets.
 Ensure that the joints and beds have an average thickness of not more
than 1 inch. (25 mm).
 If a stone is moved or if the joint is broken after the mortar has set,
take the stone up and thoroughly clean the mortar from the bed and
joints. Reset the stone in fresh mortar.
 Do not smear the stone face surfaces with the mortar forced out of
the joints or the mortar used in pointing.
 Thoroughly wet the joints pointed after the stone is laid with clean
water and fill with mortar.
 Drive the mortar into the joints and finish with an approved pointing
tool.
 Keep the wall wet while pointing. In hot or dry weather, protect the
pointed masonry from the sun and keep it wet for at least three days
after the pointing is finished.
 After the pointing is completed and the mortar is set, thoroughly clean
the walls and leave them in a neat condition.

43
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.7 Wall of Brick masonry Related Minimum requirement No’7
Brick masonry is made of brick units that are bonded together with a
binder like mortar. The strength of brick masonry depends on the quality
of bricks, mortar and method of bonding used. Brick masonry is used in
construction of foundations, walls and columns. The principle for getting
a good bond in brickwork is shown below in figure.
*Brick Masonry in Cement Mortar:
1 !

Vertical reinforcement
!/@ !/$ !/@ !/@

Vertical reinforcement Concrete

!

Concrete
!/@ !/@

!
!

!/@

!/@ !/@ !/$ !/@ !/@ !/@ !/@ !/@ !/@ !/@

First layer Second layer

Layout detail of One brick wall

44
 Wall of Brick masonry
In load bearing walls brick masonry performs a variety of functions such as:
i. Supporting loads
ii. Sub-dividing space
iii. Providing thermal and acoustic insulation
iv. Affording fire and weather protection etc.
Brick Masonry Wall Making Process:
 Good brick masonry should utilize bricks which are sound, hard, well
burnt and tough with uniform colour shape and size.
 The bricks should be compact, homogeneous, free from holes, cracks,
flaws, air-bubbles and stone lumps. These bricks should be properly
soaked in water for at least two hours before use.
 In the brick work, the bricks should be laid on their beds with the frogs
pointing upwards.
 The brick courses should be laid truly horizontal and should have truly
vertical joints.
 As far as possible the use of brick-bats should be discouraged.
 As far a possible the brick walls should be raised uniformly with proper
bond. Generally the height of brick masonry construction in a day should
be less than 1.5m. The maximum difference in rise of the wall between
the different portions should not be more than one meter.
 When the mortar is green, the face joints should be raked to a depth of 12
to 19 mm in order to have a proper key for plastering or pointing. The
mortar joints should be stuck flush and finished if no plastering or
pointing is to be done.
 Finished brickwork in cement mortar should be cured for a period of 1 to
2 weeks.
 In order to carry out the brickwork at higher level, a single scaffolding is
used. 2T
T
3m 3m
H/6

Buttress wall
H
A

Plan T=H/6
Section at A-A

45
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.8 Seismic band Related Minimum requirement No’9

Horizontal bands of walls is required in order to tie orthogonal walls

together. There are mainly five different horizontal bands. They are
plinth band ,sill band, lintel band ,roof band and gable band. The
structure of all bands is similar. They improves horizontal bending
resistance thereby preventing out of plane collapse of walls. It also
helps to prevent shrinkage , temperature and settlement cracks.

Roof band
Lintel band

Stitch band
Sill band

Plinth band

Earthquake resistant R.C. band

Roof band
Lintel band

Stitch band

Sill band

Plinth band

Earthquake resistant wooden band

46
 Seismic Band

 Plinth band
This band is provided where soil is soft or uneven in their properties.
It may also serve as a damp-proof course.
 Sill band
This band is provided just below the window openings through all
walls at the bottom .it becomes critical if the floor height is high.
 Lintel band
A lintel band shall be provided through all walls at the top level of
opening. thus the top-level of all the openings shall be made equal
as far as practicable. it must be provided in all stories of the building
as per table.
 Roof band
This band shall be provided at the eave-level of trussed roofs and
also just below the joists on all such floors which consist of joists and
covering elements (flexible floors), so as to integrate them properly
at their ends and fix them into the walls
 Gable band
Masonry gable ends must have the triangular portion of masonry
enclosed in a band, the horizontal part of which will be continuous
with the eave-level band on the adjacent longitudinal

47
Seismic Band

Roof Band Roof Band

Lintel Band Lintel Band

Sill band Sill band

First floor band First floor band

Lintel band Lintel band

Sill band Sill band

Plinth band Plinth band

Foundation Stone masonry in Foundation Brick masonry in

cement mortar cement mortar

380-450 mm 300-350 mm
Cross section of stone wall
48
 Seismic band

Roof Band Roof Band

Lintel Band
Lintel Band

Sill band
Sill band

Plinth band
Plinth band

Foundation Stone masonry

Foundation Brick masonry
in mud mortar
in mud mortar

Stone masonry in mud Brick masonry in mud

mortar with R.C. band mortar with R.C. band

49
 Seismic band

Roof Band Roof Band

Lintel Band Lintel Band

Sill band Sill band

Plinth band Plinth band

Foundation Foundation
Stone masonry Brick masonry
in mud mortar in mud mortar

Stone masonry in mud Brick masonry in mud

mortar with wooden band mortar with wooden band

50
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
Related Minimum requirement No’5 6.3.9 Vertical elements
Vertical reinforcement is used in
masonry walls to resist tensile
stresses that may arise from flexural
and shear loads. Vertical bars should
be provided at every L, T joints and
sides of openings. These bars should
start from the foundation and must
be anchored in roof slab or roof band.
Diameter of vertical reinforcement
bars depends on the no. of stories
and the span of the walls between
two supports or joints are given in the
table below.

Vertical
reinforcement

51
 Vertical elements
In brick masonry
The arrangement for providing vertical
reinforcing steel in brick wall is shown in
fig below for one brick, one and half
brick walls. It is not unusual to provide
thicker walls in lower storey and thinner
walls in upper storey. It is important to
arrange the bars in various storeys in the
same vertical line. These bars should
start from the foundation and must be
anchored in roof slab or roof band .
The appropriate location of splicing is just above the lintel band and below
the sill band of subsequent upper storey. An overlap length equivalent to 60
times diameter of the bar is recommended, bound well by binding wire.
These bars should be covered with cement concrete or cement grout in
cavities made around them during masonry construction. The concrete mix
should be kept 1:2:4 by volume or richer.
7f8f] 808L
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52
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
Related Minimum requirement No’9 6.3.9 Bar details
The detail measurement of splice , hook and embedment are
discussed below.

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53
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.10 Bar details

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 Dff6f]sf] uf/f]df l/ª¥ nfO{ aª¥Uofpg] tl/sf

54
 Bar details
Splicing length
All longitudinal bars should be anchored or spliced for full strength
development. All splices should be contained within at least two stirrups
at each end of the splice so as to avoid spalling of cover concrete.
 overlapping of bars should be done with hook at plinth,sill,lintel and
roof band with anchoring distance 40D .
 overlapping of bars should be done without hook at plinth ,sill,lintel
and roof band with 50 D.

Hook
 Has a larger concrete strength area,to counter the steel bar breaking
free
 Stronger

४९
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.11 Strengthen of Junction
It is common practice to provide vertical toothed joint at wall
junctions, which is generally left hollow and weak.
To strengthen the connection between perpendicular walls, it is
necessary to make uniform.
Hence, horizontal band were provide to different levels of in walls.

RCC BAND AT CORNER and T-Junction (stone masonry)

RCC BAND AT CORNER and T-Junction (Brick masonry)

४६
 Strengthen of Junctions
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T]f;f]{ sf7 -@ X &%ldldX #* ldld_
sf7sf] k§L %) ldld X #* @ %))ldld ;]G6/ b]lv ;]G6/df
l86]n P
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sf7sf] klÝnfO{ @ j6f lsNnfn] 7f]Sg'k5{.
 %ldld sf7sf] lsNnf cyjf #=!% ldld
h:tf lsNnf k|of]u ug{ ;lsG5.
57
 Strengthen of Junctions
Photographs

58
Strengthen of Junctions

59
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.12 Casting concrete
Concrete is a substance used for building which is made by mixing
together cement, sand, small stones, and water.

Procedure for concreting are described below:

 Rebar Arrangement
Rebar should be arranged properly, Minimum clear cover to the
reinforcement: 15 mm to the bars in slabs, 25 mm in beams in general .Lap
length should not be less than 60 times the diameter of the bar. stirrups
should not be more than 100 mm apart over the reinforcement lapping
region. The ends of bars should be hooked by bending through 180۫۫۫ in
mild steel bars and 135 I deformed bars.
 Installation of Formwork
Create a formwork using board
timber at a width of 15 cm and a
height of 20 cm. The formwork must
be strong and thick. Then cover the
formwork cavity with wet paper
cement. To maintain a thick 2 cm
concrete cover, make the concrete 2
cm thick or alternatively over with 2
cm of gravel.

 Placing Concrete
Do casting with already prepared concrete mixture. The concrete must be
compacted by using vibrator or Rebar.

 Curing
Leave formwork at least 3 days and keep all exposed concrete surface wet.

60
Casting concrete

61
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.13 Roof

As a general rule, heavy roofs are a seismic hazard. Hence, roofs

as well as floors should
be made as light as structurally and functionally possible.

Pitched Roofs:
Pitched roofs may be trussed, with the top of the walls generally at one
level except for the masonry gables at the ends of the building.
Alternatively, the longitudinal and cross-walls may be raised to varying
heights up to the roof slope and the rooms spanned by rafters and purlins.
From a seismic design point of view, the trussed arrangement is preferable,
particularly for school buildings.

Trussed Roofs:
In trussed roofs, all trusses shall be supported on the eave or roof-band.
Where a trussed roof adjoins a masonry gable, the ends of the purlins shall
be carried on and secured to a plate securely bolted to the band at the top
of gable-end masonry.

Lean-to Roofs
All masonry walls shall be topped by a reinforced concrete roof-band
securely held by means of bolts. Alternatively, wall plates may be used
which are bolted to the band and to which the rafters and purlins are fixed.

62
 Roof

The roofing structure must be light, well-connected and

adequately tied to the walls :

 The roof beams, rafters or trusses should preferably be supported on

longitudinal wooden elements for distributing the load on walls
 The roof beams or rafters should be located so as to avoid their
being placed above door or window lintels. Otherwise, the lintel
should be reinforced by an additional piece of timber).

63
 6. Earthquake resistant house
6.3 Construction of house
6.3.13 Roof
Here, bottom chord which is also known as the joist or tensile member is
laid over the roof beam, Similarly, depending upon the span of the building
other two number of bottom chord is also joined in the transverse
direction as shown in figure and after that the king post is tied at the
middle of the bottom chord using bolts and steel clams. After securing the
king post ridge beam is placed above it with the use of tongue and groove
joint as shown in figure. The two piece of the top chord typically known as
rafter is joined by the use of bolts and steel clams and fixed along with the
rafter which acts as the compression member. Depending upon the size of
the roof, these rafter must be placed at the equal interval which helps to
bear the compressive load.

64
 Roof
Above the rafter, purlin is placed at the equal interval depending upon the
length of the rafter. After securing purlin above the rafter roof covering i.e.
CGI sheet is nailed to the purlin. Since, the size of the CGI sheet is limited,
and number of piece of C.G.I. sheet should be used to cover the roof,
hence the overlapping of these sheet should be kept into mind. The
overlapping of the C.G.I sheet should be made as shown in the figure
below. In order to avoid the leakage of rain water from the roof plain
sheet should be used as the ridge cover. Similarly, at the eaves level eaves
board should be used.

65
66
Photographs

67
68
 Photographs

69
 Photographs

70
71
Standard Design

72
74
 Earthquake 2015

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